Debt Runner

Tagline
DebtRunner is a fast-paced top-down survival shooter where every round is a fight to stay alive and pay off your debt.

Short Description
Defeat waves of enemies, collect cash and XP, upgrade your weapons, and survive long enough to pay what you owe.
DebtRunner blends arena survival combat, upgrade drafting, shop strategy, and escalating debt pressure into one run-based experience.

Full Description
DebtRunner is a top-down arena survival game built around one central idea: surviving is not enough, you also have to pay your debt.

Each round throws increasingly dangerous enemies at the player. As you fight, enemies drop cash, experience, and healing resources. Experience lets you level up and choose from weapon upgrades, while cash is required to survive the economy of the run. At the end of each round, you must pay off your debt before moving forward.

The game is built around three connected loops:

• Survive fast-paced combat and collect drops
• Build your loadout through upgrade choices and active items
• Manage cash, debt, and shop decisions between rounds

As the run progresses, enemy variety and pressure increase, while your build becomes stronger and more specialized. The tension comes from balancing combat power, survivability, and economy. A strong build can still fail if you cannot keep up with the debt curve.

Features

• Fast-paced top-down survival combat
• Auto-attacking weapons with build-defining upgrades
• Active items that add mobility and burst utility
• Round-based progression with debt repayment pressure
• Shop upgrades, risk-reward choices, and scaling enemy waves
• Boss encounters and late-run build checks

Controls

• WASD to move
• Space to use active item
• Esc to pause

Project Note
This is an actively developed prototype focused on combat feel, progression, and the tension between survival and debt management.